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A review by twiinklex
How to Survive a Modern-Day Fairy Tale by Elle Cruz
1.0
Why I requested this Netgalley arc: The gorgeous cover, #ownvoices debut, a Cinderella retelling as a "fun, flirty romcom". Basically, all the things I usually love.
By the time I got round to reading the book, it had dipped to a 3.22 rating and it took me only a few chapters to see why.
1. The writing (particularly the protagonist's voice) came across as juvenile.
The entire book read more like a Wattpad story (in fact, I've read better there) instead of a published adult novel. I was actually shocked to learn that Claire is 30 years old because I felt like I was reading tweenage fiction (not even YA).
2. There is hardly any cultural/ownvoices or Cinderella element.
I know this is largely a romance novel, but I was hoping to learn more about Filipino culture and hence was disappointed by the lack of depth. What we have is a huge family including some annoying aunties and two sisters, all of whom are one-dimensional with no backstory. There were just some fleeting mentions of Filipino food but that's about it.
3. The steamy scenes scenes were cringeworthy.
4. This book made me realise just how much I dislike the instalove trope.
The romance was super fast-paced and bland, with no development or buildup. The characters do acknowledge this, which I appreciated. I tried to read the book like I would a fairytale (quick, fluffy, minimal conflict) but it just didn't work for me.
5. Claire and Nate are clearly incompatible.
Claire does not grow at all throughout the book and remains unchanged (and not in a good way). Nate is manipulative and a red-flag love interest who employs the 'love bombing' tactic in the guise of big romantic gestures.
The argument they had at 86% is SO problematic. Nate chides Claire for having 'bullshit insecurities" that she can't get past and which "get in the way". These are also classic lines of a manipulator:
6. Claire's arc was highly disappointing.
Claire spends bulk of the book talking about how much she loves baking. She repeatedly mentions her desire to set up her own business and spends a lot of time deliberating whether to take the leap. She repeatedly tells everyone that she wants her own career outside of her romantic relationship. She judges the wives of Nate's friends for giving up their careers to be housewives and says she doesn't want to be like them.
For all her so-called passion and professionalism, Claire ghosts her customer and walks off into the sunrise with Nate. What was the point of the book? It would have been preferable if the book decided to pull an unconventional twist and go against the fairytale stereotype by having Claire choose herself.
Not fun, not flirty and definitely not my idea of a modern fairytale.
By the time I got round to reading the book, it had dipped to a 3.22 rating and it took me only a few chapters to see why.
1. The writing (particularly the protagonist's voice) came across as juvenile.
The entire book read more like a Wattpad story (in fact, I've read better there) instead of a published adult novel. I was actually shocked to learn that Claire is 30 years old because I felt like I was reading tweenage fiction (not even YA).
2. There is hardly any cultural/ownvoices or Cinderella element.
I know this is largely a romance novel, but I was hoping to learn more about Filipino culture and hence was disappointed by the lack of depth. What we have is a huge family including some annoying aunties and two sisters, all of whom are one-dimensional with no backstory. There were just some fleeting mentions of Filipino food but that's about it.
3. The steamy scenes scenes were cringeworthy.
"He was a big boy, indeed. Claire had seen several penises in real life, and all of them were perfunctory enough. But this was not a regular penis. This was a cock – long and thick and beautiful all at once. He had the kind of dick that belonged in porn, and Claire was certain her eyes were deceiving her." (34%)
4. This book made me realise just how much I dislike the instalove trope.
The romance was super fast-paced and bland, with no development or buildup. The characters do acknowledge this, which I appreciated. I tried to read the book like I would a fairytale (quick, fluffy, minimal conflict) but it just didn't work for me.
5. Claire and Nate are clearly incompatible.
Claire does not grow at all throughout the book and remains unchanged (and not in a good way). Nate is manipulative and a red-flag love interest who employs the 'love bombing' tactic in the guise of big romantic gestures.
The argument they had at 86% is SO problematic. Nate chides Claire for having 'bullshit insecurities" that she can't get past and which "get in the way". These are also classic lines of a manipulator:
"You promised me you'd always tell me what was in your mind, and that you'd always be here. You said you'd never walk away, but you didn't mean it."
"You'd better be fucking sure this is what you want. Because if you leave, I don't even want to see you again."
6. Claire's arc was highly disappointing.
Claire spends bulk of the book talking about how much she loves baking. She repeatedly mentions her desire to set up her own business and spends a lot of time deliberating whether to take the leap. She repeatedly tells everyone that she wants her own career outside of her romantic relationship. She judges the wives of Nate's friends for giving up their careers to be housewives and says she doesn't want to be like them.
Spoiler
And yet she ends up choosing Nate over her career."Business opportunities would come and go. True love would not." (97%)
For all her so-called passion and professionalism, Claire ghosts her customer and walks off into the sunrise with Nate. What was the point of the book? It would have been preferable if the book decided to pull an unconventional twist and go against the fairytale stereotype by having Claire choose herself.
Not fun, not flirty and definitely not my idea of a modern fairytale.